Win Corporate Contracts for Your Mobile Repair Business

Have you ever considered growing beyond one-time repairs and looking for contracts that can turn into a profitable, long-term relationship? If not, you should.

Chad Johansen, owner of the cellphone shop NH iPhone Repair in Bedford, New Hampshire, decided to take his business to the next level by going after corporate and EDU contracts with the school districts. What he found was a land of constant new opportunities to expand and grow his business beyond single repairs. During the 2018 Electronics Reuse Conference, he shared some of his best practices for wireless and repair store owners who wish to pursue the same path:

Chad Johansen, Owner of NH iPhone Repair

Build a Solid Customer Rapport

Like Chad pointed out, “people buy from someone they know, trust, and like.” Be the trustworthy person that clients can rely on. Keep your promises, follow up, offer personalized service, and deliver excellence. Word of mouth is still the best organic marketing you can ever have, and that only happens when customers feel like they can trust you. The more positive reviews and testimonials you can get from this, the easier it will be to close bigger deals when talking to CFOs, IT directors, or the school board.

Ask As Many Questions As Possible

Every client can be the source or lead you to the next large deal, so treat every one of them as a new opportunity. When chatting with customers ask personal questions, but don’t get caught up in small talk. Ask them what they do for work. Perhaps they work at a hospital and can get you in contact with a decision maker where you can close a deal on new iPads, for example. Try to make the most out of every conversation, and don’t be afraid to ask around. Search for the opportunities.

Look for the Decision Makers – and Add Value

As mentioned above, asking questions is probably the best way of meeting new people and finding new deals. When looking for decision makers in big companies, your best chances of presenting a case are CFOs and IT directors. When meeting them, make sure to have an offer that adds value to them: special pricing, lifetime warranty on devices, accessories such as tempered glass and cases, or discounts on future repairs.

Always Follow Up

Let’s say you landed a contract with a large company to sell them 500 iPads. After the deal goes through, make sure to keep in touch through emails, phone calls, and even in person. Each time you reach out to your point of contact, add value such as offering to buyback their old devices, providing on-site repair, and making sure that next year when they are ready to upgrade again, you will be their go-to person.

Chad has been extremely successful going after big contracts. He’s been able to expand his business from one to three locations, grown his on-site repair services, and began mail-in repairs, where customers can get a quote over the phone and mail their devices to be fixed. He works with multiple schools districts in New Hampshire, selling about 700-1,200 devices every year, in addition to a steady stream of repair business.